2022 BMW 5 Series Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 4 2 injury

“The glass roof suddenly exploded while driving, there was a no visible damage on the glass as the sunshade was open and I inspect the glass for any cracks or chips, there were no cracks or chips. The outside temperature was 35 degrees, time as approximately 9:30 PM on a major highway with a smooth surface, and light traffic. The explosion did not occur while going under an overpass, there was no sound of any pebbles being pinged against the car, again traffic was light. Glass was not laminated as it is in a windshield, glass chips flew inside the vehicle which is very dangerous.”
NHTSA complaint #11501997, 2023 · 2 injury(ies)

“A recall has been issued for our car over 5 months ago and dealer is saying they have no idea when the part will be in when i asked for a loaner car they said no,,the recall can cause the car to start a fire. Would like his to be addressed the reason we always bought BMW was for their reliability we are not happy Regards [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11746915, 2026

“My 2022 BMW 530e is producing a loud, high-pitched noise whenever the heating or air conditioning system is operating, or when the engine reaches higher temperatures. Upon having the vehicle inspected, I was informed that the air conditioning compressor is failing, a known and documented issue with this model. The AC compressor in this vehicle is responsible not only for cooling the cabin, but also for regulating the temperature of the high-voltage battery. I was advised that immediate replacement is necessary to prevent potential battery overheating and to avoid further damage that could res…”
NHTSA complaint #11717356, 2025

Back Over Prevention 3

“Sensors around vehicle are faulty and break and/or become dysfunctional very easily. Improper and/or no warning provides false sense of security or danger. BMW is requesting customers pay to address the faulty product sensors. Service representative informed me that it is a known issue but the manufacturer has yet to deal with the problem. Vehicle has only 20K miles on it and in perfect condition besides these faulty sensors.”
NHTSA complaint #11690264, 2025

“Front right sensor not working as of 05-23-2024. Approximately seven weeks later the backup camera quit working. Dealers claims right front sensor chipped and no report on why the rear camera not working. If I back into my garage or pulling into a parking space with a car already parked or a wall, the parking assistance does not function. However, from time to time, it starts to work again! The dealer's comment is the sensor is damaged due to "outside influence". I literally had to get a magnifying glass and a flashlight to see the chip on the sensor. The sensor has no visible cracks or…”
NHTSA complaint #11679855, 2024

“The system fails to alert the driver of any cross traffic activity. it only works when backing into something that is directly in its path. I have taken the car to Laurel BMW Westmont, IL they have confirmed the vehicle settings are correct. I also contacted BMW corporate and spoke to a customer service agent who basically admitted that they are aware of the problem but have no fix in the works. Independent of all this I see where there are a number of folks who have commented on various social media platforms that the BMW cross traffic alert system does not work. I almost got into an accident…”
NHTSA complaint #11630571, 2024

Forward Collision Avoidance 3 1 injury

“Vehicle randomly and erroneously triggers forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking at different speeds when no car or pedestrian is present on the road and the danger of an imminent collision is actually null. This has happened around 5 times in a year of ownership. Last time this event occurred, the car was traveling around 35 to 40mph which resulted in my getting whiplash (and nearly rear-ended) when the car applied what felt like its full braking power when no one was on the road, the weather was clear and no imminent danger was ahead. No error message ever appeared anywher…”
NHTSA complaint #11519843, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“Sensors around vehicle are faulty and break and/or become dysfunctional very easily. Improper and/or no warning provides false sense of security or danger. BMW is requesting customers pay to address the faulty product sensors. Service representative informed me that it is a known issue but the manufacturer has yet to deal with the problem. Vehicle has only 20K miles on it and in perfect condition besides these faulty sensors.”
NHTSA complaint #11690264, 2025

“Vehicle continues to take over randomly when no vehicle, object, pedestrian or other item is on the road ahead of the hood. This persistent problem has been reported to the manufacturer and BMW dealerships on no less than (6) occasions – BMW advises the vehicle performs normally which isn't the case. ADAS/AEB takes over for no apparent reason, randomly, sometimes a few times per month, other times a few months apart – depending on speed at which the vehicle is traveling, the incident causes soft tissue injuries as was again the case on Friday, (XXX] when vehicle came to an abrupt stop when no…”
NHTSA complaint #11580570, 2024

Air Bags 2 1 crash 2 injury

“We were involved in a car accident. We were traveling through a traffic circle. The other car that was entering the circle failed to yield or even slow down and hit my car. The rear passenger side door was hit. I was driving and thrown into the driver door and my hip is injured. My son was riding in the back seat behind the driver and he was knocked into the window and was knocked unconscious. I was wondering why the side airbags did not deploy. I reported this to my local dealer who sent me an article about side airbags. There were no warnings or indications anything was wrong with any of the…”
NHTSA complaint #11496099, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Passenger Restraint service message. Possibly related to airbag seat or floor sensor. Checked BMW customer forums and appears to be widespread issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11677962, 2025

Engine 2 1 crash 1 injury

“On Feb.3, 2023, my wife made a turn into a parking lot. She was driving our 2022 BMW 540. She paused and the engine began to rev up. It then shot forward nearly 50 feet and hurled her over a meridian into another car. She pressed as hard as she could on the brake and suffered a torn meniscus ligament. There were no warning lights and although the car hit front right, no airbags were executed. BMW has not sent an official detailed report from their engineer. BMW advertises brake override so pressing both the brake and accelerator would NOT result in this event.”
NHTSA complaint #11513257, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“My 2022 BMW 530e is producing a loud, high-pitched noise whenever the heating or air conditioning system is operating, or when the engine reaches higher temperatures. Upon having the vehicle inspected, I was informed that the air conditioning compressor is failing, a known and documented issue with this model. The AC compressor in this vehicle is responsible not only for cooling the cabin, but also for regulating the temperature of the high-voltage battery. I was advised that immediate replacement is necessary to prevent potential battery overheating and to avoid further damage that could res…”
NHTSA complaint #11717356, 2025

Fuel/Propulsion System 2 1 crash 1 injury

“On Feb.3, 2023, my wife made a turn into a parking lot. She was driving our 2022 BMW 540. She paused and the engine began to rev up. It then shot forward nearly 50 feet and hurled her over a meridian into another car. She pressed as hard as she could on the brake and suffered a torn meniscus ligament. There were no warning lights and although the car hit front right, no airbags were executed. BMW has not sent an official detailed report from their engineer. BMW advertises brake override so pressing both the brake and accelerator would NOT result in this event.”
NHTSA complaint #11513257, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“While turning my 2022 BMW 540i onto a busy, 50 MPH road, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic drivetrain failure, without any physical trauma such as encountering a curb or pothole. The car experienced a total and immediate loss of motive power (propulsion), leaving me coasting in live traffic. This created an extreme safety hazard as I was unable to accelerate or maintain speed to clear the roadway safely. The failure occurred immediately after a significant temperature stress: taken from a heated garage, driven with no issue for 40 minutes, then parked in 15 degree weather for two hours, th…”
NHTSA complaint #11715820, 2026

Power Train 2

“While turning my 2022 BMW 540i onto a busy, 50 MPH road, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic drivetrain failure, without any physical trauma such as encountering a curb or pothole. The car experienced a total and immediate loss of motive power (propulsion), leaving me coasting in live traffic. This created an extreme safety hazard as I was unable to accelerate or maintain speed to clear the roadway safely. The failure occurred immediately after a significant temperature stress: taken from a heated garage, driven with no issue for 40 minutes, then parked in 15 degree weather for two hours, th…”
NHTSA complaint #11715820, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 BMW 530I. The contact stated while driving 50-60 MPH, the messages "Drive Train Malfunction" and "Reduced Power" were displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer twice; however, the dealer could not determine the cause of the f…”
NHTSA complaint #11532848, 2021

Electrical System 1 1 crash 1 injury

“On Feb.3, 2023, my wife made a turn into a parking lot. She was driving our 2022 BMW 540. She paused and the engine began to rev up. It then shot forward nearly 50 feet and hurled her over a meridian into another car. She pressed as hard as she could on the brake and suffered a torn meniscus ligament. There were no warning lights and although the car hit front right, no airbags were executed. BMW has not sent an official detailed report from their engineer. BMW advertises brake override so pressing both the brake and accelerator would NOT result in this event.”
NHTSA complaint #11513257, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Lane Departure 1

“Sensors around vehicle are faulty and break and/or become dysfunctional very easily. Improper and/or no warning provides false sense of security or danger. BMW is requesting customers pay to address the faulty product sensors. Service representative informed me that it is a known issue but the manufacturer has yet to deal with the problem. Vehicle has only 20K miles on it and in perfect condition besides these faulty sensors.”
NHTSA complaint #11690264, 2025

Seat Belts 1

“Passenger Restraint service message. Possibly related to airbag seat or floor sensor. Checked BMW customer forums and appears to be widespread issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11677962, 2025

Service Brakes 1

“Vehicle continues to take over randomly when no vehicle, object, pedestrian or other item is on the road ahead of the hood. This persistent problem has been reported to the manufacturer and BMW dealerships on no less than (6) occasions – BMW advises the vehicle performs normally which isn't the case. ADAS/AEB takes over for no apparent reason, randomly, sometimes a few times per month, other times a few months apart – depending on speed at which the vehicle is traveling, the incident causes soft tissue injuries as was again the case on Friday, (XXX] when vehicle came to an abrupt stop when no…”
NHTSA complaint #11580570, 2024